A dysfunctional family Christmas
by NinjaQueen33
Summary: Garp takes the boys out camping for Christmas, much to Ace and Luffy's dislike. All he wants is for them to put away the electronic devices and be in the moment more. Will the family be able to get along and bond this Christmas or will it end in a chaotic disaster? Modern A.U.! Christmas fic!


Since Christmas is less than a week away, let me gift you with a Luffy, Ace, and Garp family Christmas fic. Christmas isn't my favorite holiday, but lately, I've been feeling in the mood so I decided to write this lovely little fic.

By the way, Ace is 13 and Luffy is 10 in this, just wanted to clarify beforehand.

But anyway, happy reading and happy holidays!

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece in any shape or form.**

* * *

Garp came home to see his grandkids glued to their electronics. Luffy was fixated on his portable videogame console. His tongue stuck out from intense concentration as he aggressively mashed the buttons. Ace was lying on the couch upside down, scrolling his thumb against his phone screen. The older grandson's bored face was illuminated by the bright screen as he went through his social media.

Garp shook his head in disapproval and cleared his throat to get their attention. The boys ignored him and kept being invested in their distractions. A vein popped in the elder man's forehead, leading him to raise his fist and bop them on the head.

Ace dropped his phone and almost fell off the couch. He rubbed the aching bump on his head as he shot him a look. "What was that for, gramps!?"

"Yeah! You made me die in my game. It took me an hour to get this far." Luffy said, rubbing his red bump.

"You two are always on those damn electronics. Did you even step outside today?"

Ace rolled his eyes while Luffy awkwardly shifted his eyes to the side.

"I figured. Kids these days. Back in my youth I would found any excuse to go outside."

"_Yeah, yeah, we know. You told us a million times old man_." Ace thought.

"Anyway, I'm off from work for Christmas eve and Christmas. And since I won't be working for the next two days, I refused to be cooped up in this house all day. So, we're taking a nice camping trip to the Corvo forest."

"What!?" Luffy and Ace shouted in unison.

"You heard me. You two need to get off those digital thingymajigs and appreciate the beauty of nature."

"But it's Christmas eve and Christmas is tomorrow. Who wants to be out in nature where its cold with annoying bugs and barely any wi-fi on the most festive days of the year?"

"I don't want to hear any protest out of you. Back in my youth, my father used to take me out in the woods every year around this time. It taught me to be appreciative of the things around me for Christmas rather than solely focus on the presents under the tree. It really-"

Ace yawned, "Okay old man, we get it." Garp bopped him on the head again. "Ow!"

"It really taught me to be in the moment and be grateful for life." He finished. "You two need to be in the moment more before your youth passes you by and you regret it later on in life. This trip to the forest will hopefully help you two take that into consideration. So start packing for tonight and tomorrow because we leave in an hour."

The boys groaned as they sat up and headed to the rooms to pack for the next couple of days.

Garp grinned as he walked over to the garage to pack some of the equipment. "This should be fun."

**ooo**

**1:16 P.M.**

The family was all on the recreational vehicle, putting their things up and making the final preparations for their day and a half trip. Garp walked up the stairs of the vehicle after making sure the tires and the engine were all good. He saw his grandchildren stand around with looks mixed with boredom and dread.

"Hey, look more excited. We're going out to the great Corvo forest. You two should feel overjoyed right now."

Luffy and Ace kept staring at him, still keeping their deadpan expressions.

Garp sighed. "_This is going to be a long trip_."

An hour later, the kids were quiet as Garp drove along the road. He looked at the rearview mirror and saw their attention attached to their electronics again. Garp frowned since his mission to have them be more present was failing, but he controlled his rising anger and decided to make conversation.

"So Ace, you excited to do some fishing later on?"

"Mhmm." Ace responded, still focused his phone.

Garp noticed the bored tone in his voice but he didn't let it get to him too much. "Hey Luffy, I know how much like to go explore new places. How about we go exploring by hiking in the forest before sunset or tomorrow morning if you're up for it?"

Luffy's eyes never left his game. "...Yeah grandpa, that sounds great."

The fake excitement in Luffy's voice was the final straw for Garp. The elder man abruptly stopped the vehicle, causing the boys to fling forward a little.

Ace became irritated. "Yo gramps, what's your problem!?"

Garp unhooked his seatbelt, stood up from the driver's seat and walked over to them. Ace and Luffy panicked when they saw the serious and angry look on his face. He snatched Ace's phone and Luffy's game away and locked it in a small black box.

"Hey, give that back!" Luffy shouted.

"I'm keeping these until you two learn how to be in the moment. I feel like I'm talking to two brick walls right now. So have some respect for your grandfather, join me up here, and engage in the conversation."

Ace was about to protest but saw the raised fist his gramps threatened him with, so he slowly closed his mouth back shut. He groaned lowly and walked over to the passager's seat, grudgingly accepting defeat. Luffy followed closely behind him, looking up at his grandfather in fear of getting punched.

Garp clapped his hands and rubbed them together. "Now, let the family trip begin."

"Yayyy..." the boys faked cheered in a monotone pitch.

"That's the spirit!" Garp said, sitting back in the driver's seat.

**ooo**

**Corvo Forest**

The RV slowed down as it reached the destined campsite. Once Garp put the vehicle in park, Ace and Luffy were the first ones to step off and take a look at the environment.

Gangs of tall trees sat on each side of the camping site. Some of the leaves gently fell to the ground due to being blown from the cold wind. A huge lake sat a few feet away, little ripples were made from the fish swimming within. The land and sky reflected off the water, the lake seemed like a clear mirror of the earth. Mountains sat behind the landscape, looking like it touched the bright sun and passing clouds from their perspective.

Garp walked up behind them and placed his hands on their shoulders. "Welcome to Corvo Forest boys. We're finally here."

"How fun." Ace said sarcastically.

Garp quickly smacked him on the head. "Don't get smart. Now suck it up and help me set up the camp."

The family set up the tents, unfolded the chairs, and unpacked all of their equipment. One tent was set up just for Garp since he was a big guy and another tent was for both Luffy and Ace to sleep in together. After settling themselves and fully setting up their camp, they grabbed their fishing gear and headed towards the lake area.

**ooo**

The three stood at the end of the wooden dock, each of them waiting for a fish to take a bite of the bait.

Luffy pouted as he stared at the still water, "Grandpa, how much longer do I have to wait?"

"Patience, Luffy. The beauty of fishing is having enough patience to wait for the right moment."

"It takes a while to get a bite. Sometimes fishing takes all day until you can catch even one fish." Ace added.

Luffy sighed as he stared back at the calm lake. A few moments later, he felt a slight tug on his fishing line, causing the ten-year old's brows to perk up. Seconds passing by and the tugging became more frequent and forceful. Luffy gasped as he lost his balance and stumbled towards the edge of the dock.

"Woah, I think I caught one!"

"Try to stand your ground Luffy! Or else it'll pull you in the lake!" Ace advised.

"Don't lose sight of him, Luffy! Don't let him defeat you!" Garp said.

Luffy tried his best to pull the fish in with his strength but the force was too much. So much that he slipped off the edge and fell in the lake. Garp and Ace panicked and threw off their shoes immediately.

Garp beat him to it, being the first one to jump into the lake. Ace stopped in his tracks and waited anxiously for the both of them to rise back up to the surface.

Around thirty seconds later, Garp raised above the lake with Luffy hanging onto one of his arms. Ace rushed over to them and noticed that Luffy wasn't breathing.

"Gramps he isn't breathing!"

"Hold his head back and lift his chin up. Pinch his nose then breathe into his mouth two times. After that, if you still can't feel his pulse then start doing compressions on his chest. Just how I taught you before." Garp instructed.

"Okay." Ace wasted no time and did the step-by-step resuscitation method. Luckily, after three repeats of the process, Luffy began to cough out some water and scrunched his face up. Garp and Ace looked at him, both sighing with relief.

"You okay, Luff?" Ace asked, concern dripping off his voice.

It took him a good minute for him to sit up and look at his surroundings. He raised his brows in realization and searched around like he was looking for something. "Did I catch the fish?"

Ace and Garp's concerned expressions turned blank. "Huh...?" They both said in disbelief.

Luffy spotted his fishing rod and noticed the jumpy fish mouth attached to the hook. A triumphant smile formed on his face as he lifted up his rod. He presented his catch like it was a golden trophy.

"I caught it! I caught it!" Luffy jumped up, ignoring his recent near-death experience.

Garp and Ace just stared at Luffy and his obliviousness to what just happened. They then looked at each other and burst into laughter.

"You're really crazy, Luff." Ace said in between chuckles.

Garp wiped the small tears from the corner of his eyes. "Congratulations on your first catch. I expect no less from my grandson."

Ace grabbed his own fishing rod and thrown the hook back into the lake. "Now I want to get a good catch. I might even get a bigger fish than yours."

Luffy stuck his tongue out teasingly. "I'd like to see you try."

"Let's see how much fish we all can catch. We can cook em later and that'll be our dinner. Luffy put your fish in the bucket and see if you can catch some more." Garp said with a confident grin.

After Luffy unhooked the fish and attached the bottom of his mouth to the stringer, he ran over to join them.

**ooo**

The fish were on cooking each on a stick from the blazing campfire. Luffy happily munched on the second fish he caught today, the heat from the fire drying off his now damp clothes. Ace roasted a few marshmallows on a stick, turning it gradually so it can turn golden brown.

Garp munched on the fish that he caught earlier, observing his two boys while smiling at the sight. Luffy had his usual cheerful smile as he was now eating his third fish. Ace blissfully ate the perfectly toasted marshmallows off the stick. Which was surprising since Ace was usually a sourpuss. They weren't busy with their electronics and were actually enjoying themselves at the moment. Garp felt his heart warm up as he watched his boys eat their campfire dinner, his eyes softening due to joy.

A couple of hours later, Luffy was sleeping soundly in his tent. His little snores were loud enough for Ace and Garp to hear from outside. Ace stared at the campfire, his eyes tracing the individual flames as it floated up in the air.

Garp put all of the leftovers from the fish in the trash bag and tied it up. He saw that Ace was in deep thought, so he decided to sit on one of the logs to join him. The older man stared at the small pieces of fire that floated up towards the night sky.

"Hey, Gramps?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you think there's a place people go to after they die?"

Garp paused as he noticed the curiousness in Ace's eyes. He sighed, clasped his hands together and stared at the fire.

"Well personally I do, but I feel like you have to decide what you believe in for yourself." His eyes shifted back to Ace. "Why do you ask?"

"Some nights I wonder where my mom ended up. I like to think she went on the good side since she sacrificed her life for me."

Garp nodded. "I'm certain she went to the good side. I've known her for a short time but she was a good woman with a kind soul."

"Do you think my dad ended up at the good side too?"

Garp saw the desperate and serious look on Ace's face. He could tell that he wanted the answer to that question for a long time.

"Roger was a criminal and did a lot of not-so-good things, but nevertheless he was a good man. At the end of the day, all he wanted was to make sure his loved ones were safe and taken care of. That's why he was so desperate for me to take care of you, because he knew he was going to die from his sickness soon. But even still, he was worried about the well-being of his wife and unborn child. I honestly think he's in a good place after his death."

Ace lightly nodded as he looked deep within the campfire. "I see. I like to think that too."

Garp smiled at his grandson and sat up from the large log. He lifted a finger to Ace, signaling to wait for him. "Hold on..."

Ace lifted a questioning brow but stayed silent as he watched him go in the RV.

About a minute later, Garp came back with Ace's phone in his hand. The grandfather lifted it towards him, causing Ace expression to perk up due to surprise.

"You're giving me my phone back?"

"Yeah. All I wanted was for you and Luffy to spend some quality time with me. And after today, I can say that you two proved that and learned your lesson. So, I'm rewarding you with your phone back."

Ace stared at his device for a moment before shaking his head and pushing it away. "Nah, I don't need it right now. I just want to sit here and watch the stars while listening to the campfire."

Garp was surprised by this but smiled as he put Ace's phone back in his pocket. He began to yawn and stretch out his tired muscles.

"Well, this old man is starting to feel exhausted so I'll leave you to it." He started to walk off but turned around after remembering something. "Oh, before going to bed, remember to put out the fire if it's still burning. Goodnight kiddo." He ruffled Ace's hair and headed over to his tent.

"Got it. Goodnight gramps."

After Garp settled in his own tent, Ace continued to admire the dark blue night sky with the sprinkle of stars scattered all over. The fire warmed his body up during the chilly winter night. His eyes followed the small sparks of the fire as it raised above the wild flames. His eyes widened when he witnessed a shooting star fly across the sky. "Woah..."

Closing his eyes, he made a quick wish to the shooting star, using the golden opportunity to see if it works.

He smiled as the comforting sounds of the crackling campfire, the crickets in the distance, and his relative's loud snoring blended together to make a peaceful night ambiance.

**ooo**

**Christmas morning**

Luffy was the first one to wake up. He rubbed the fatigue from his eyes and sat up from his sleeping bag. He turned to his right to see Ace sleeping quietly on the other side of the tent.

Walking out of the tent, the first thing he noticed was the white sheets of snow covering the entire forest. From afar, it looked like someone threw white paint over the ground and trees. Luffy couldn't believe he was seeing, in all of his ten years of living he never witnessed snow before. He always saw it on TV and in the movies but never firsthand. The boy's face lit up as he looked up and witnessed the snow gracefully falling from the morning sky.

Luffy breathed out, making the air blowing out to be a small visible cloud. When he brought his arm out, a couple of pieces of snow landed in his hand. A big smile spread across his face, leading to him jumping up from excitement. "It's snowing! Guys, it's snowing!"

He ran over and entered his grandfather's tent. The boy shook him hard to wake up, successfully doing so after a few seconds of trying.

Garp frowned at him and smacked him on the head. "What do you want, boy?"

Luffy ignored the rising red bump on his head. "Grandpa, it's snowing! Hurry up and check it out before it stops."

Luffy ran out of the tent before receiving anymore fist of love. Garp sighed and sat up to register waking out of his deep sleep. "That kid, always full of damn energy."

Luffy ran in his own tent and bent down to wake his brother up. It took a moment before Luffy's rough shaking woke up the older sibling. He looked at Luffy with one eye open and wore his grumpy face that he always makes in the morning. Luffy chuckled at his disheveled bed hair.

"Luffy, what the hell-"

"Ace, it's Christmas and it's snowing! You gotta see it! Hurry up and come outside!"

Luffy went back outside after that, leaving his older brother to groan as he wiped the lingering drool that left his mouth. He sighed as he sat up from his sleeping bag, fixing his wild hair and getting his mind together. Walking out of the tent, he saw Luffy making snow angels across the pure white snow.

Ace was amazed when he saw the entire landscape decorated in thick layers of snow. The forest was close to looking like a winter wonderland. "No way..."

Garp stared in awe as he only saw snow a couple of times back in his early twenties. It rarely snowed in Foosha city, so this was a pleasant surprise to wake up to.

Luffy jumped up from his snow angel and bent down to scoop up a pile of snow. He shaped it with his gloved hands and threw it at Ace. The older boy flinched when he felt the cold sensation hit his face. He snapped towards Luffy with an annoyed expression. "Did you just throw a snowball at me?"

Luffy made a sneaky face. "Maybe...? What are you gonna do about it if I did?"

"Oh, you're gonna get it." Ace quickly balled a pile of snow and flung it in Luffy's direction. Luffy, in the nick of time, dodged it and laughed in triumph, causing Ace to get frustrated at his miss.

"Stay still so I can hit you." Ace chased Luffy, throwing many snowballs towards his way.

Suddenly, Luffy felt a snowball hit him so hard it caused him to fall. His face was within the snow, causing Ace to laugh out loud.

Luffy looked up with some snow falling from his face. He turned to face Ace, who was still laughing while holding his stomach. "You did that you jerk?"

Ace calmed down, wiping the tears from the corner of his eyes. "That wasn't me you idiot. But it was too funny how you fell in the snow."

"So if it wasn't you, who hit me?"

"It was me you brat."

Both boys turned to see their grandfather, grinning at them while throwing up a snowball in each of his hands. "You up for a full out snowball fight?"

Ace and Luffy turned pale as they began to quickly scoop piles of snow. Garp wasted no time and threw multiple snowballs at them.

Luffy's strategy was to run and throw as many snowballs he possibly could towards Ace and Garp. Which didn't really help him for too long since he was made an easy target for both of them. Ace, on the other hand, just hid behind the tall trees closest to him and tried to get a good hit in when he found the chance. Garp laughed as he chased his grandkids throughout the forest, feeling like a kid again as he ran across the snow.

The family spent Christmas morning having a snowball war, soon leading to eating food that Garp stole from the Navy for breakfast. After that, they all went on a nice hike around the forest, bonding and laughing within the soft, white snowfall.

**ooo**

Garp drove the RV along the mostly open road, taking in the orange and yellow hues tangled together to create the evening sky.

He sighed as his mind recalled the past two days. Even though it started off a little rough between him and the boys, in the end, they all spent time together as a family. Which was all Garp wanted for his Christmas holiday.

He suddenly remembered that he had some Christmas presents that he had gotten them. He was going to surprise them with it this morning but the shocking arrival of snow made him forget.

"Hey, I meant to give you two your presen..."

Garp looked up at his rearview mirror and saw the boys sleeping in the back. Their little snores and peaceful sleeping faces made Garp's chest feel warm. The older man shook his head and reverted his attention back to the road.

"_I'll just surprise them with it later_."

The snow had stopped falling, so it just laid still on the land and tall trees. The sun slowly fell under the horizon. It's orange light spread across the coats of snow, causing it to have deep blue shadows hiding behind the objects.

Garp smiled as he drove back home, satisfied with his Christmas day.

* * *

I hope you enjoyed! Please be safe wherever you are, whether if you're spending time with your loved ones or just yourself during this holiday season. I wish you all a wonderful and relaxing time.

Have a Merry Christmas!

_**"From a small seed, a mighty trunk may grow." - Aeschylus**_

-NinjaQueen33


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